Parameterized thermal model of a mixed mantle convection

IntroductionTectonicevolutionisinfluencedbythermalhistoryoftheEarth.TheEarthhasabout4.6Gahistory.ThermalenergyfromtheinterioroftheEachprovidesthemainpowerfortectonicevolution.ItnotonlycontrolstheformationofthelayeredstructuresinsidetheEarth,butalsopromotesthetectonicmovementsofthesurfaceplatesduringthegeologicalera.ThestudyofthethermalhistoryoftheEarthhaspassedseveralstages.Inearlystudies,onlyconductivemechanism(Lubimova,1958)isdiscussedinthethermalevolution.However,theimpotalceofthermalco…     

Deep xenoliths in alkalic porphyry, Liuhe, Yunnan, and implications to petrogenesis of alkalic porphyry and associated mineralizations

Na-rich microlite-glass is first discovered in deep-source xenoliths in alkali-rich porphyry, Liuhe village, Heqing County, Yunnan Province. It is shown that the ultramafic xenoliths originated from partial melting of primary mantle and the glass resulted from metasomatism between the xenoliths and mantle fluid derived from mantle degassing. Mantle metasomatism not only resulted in the enrichment of alkaline, large-ion elements, ore metals and volatiles but also created a favorable condition for the generation of alkaline magmas. The mantle xenoliths and their characteristics of mantle metasomatism provide important evidence for a better understanding of the petrogenesis and mineralization of the Cenozoic alkali-rich porphyry in western Yunnan.     

大同—阳高震区深部构造背景

利用通过本区的宽角反射／折射剖面资料对大同－阳高震区及邻区地壳上地幔速度结构与构造进行了详细的研究,结果表明,地壳上地幔速度结构与构造在纵向和横向上具有明显的不均一性,浅部基底断裂发育,对应其深部,根据波组特征,壳内界面及速度等值线起伏变化和低速异常体的边界等推测了地壳深断裂带,区内最明显的上地壳低速体位于大同－阳原附近,其南界存在地壳断裂,大同－阳高地震群与该低速异常体和深断裂有关。     

The age of continental roots

Determination of the age of the mantle part of continental roots is essential to our understanding of the evolution and stability of continents. Dating the rocks that comprise the mantle root beneath the continents has proven difficult because of their high equilibration temperatures and open-system geochemical behaviour. Much progress has been made in the last 20 years that allows us to see how continental roots have evolved in different areas. The first indication of the antiquity of continental roots beneath cratons came from the enriched Nd and Sr isotopic signatures shown by both peridotite xenoliths and inclusions in diamonds, requiring isolation of cratonic roots from the convecting mantle for billions of years. The enriched Nd and Sr isotopic signatures result from mantle metasomatic events post-dating the depletion events that led to the formation and isolation of the peridotite from convecting mantle. These signatures document a history of melt– and fluid–rock interaction within the lithospheric mantle. In some suites of cratonic rocks, such as eclogites, Nd and Pb isotopes have been able to trace probable formation ages. The Re–Os isotope system is well suited to dating lithospheric peridotites because of the compatible nature of Os and its relative immunity to post-crystallisation disturbance compared with highly incompatible element isotope systems. Os isotopic compositions of lithospheric peridotites are overwhelmingly unradiogenic and indicate long-term evolution in low Re/Os environments, probably as melt residues. Peridotite xenoliths from kimberlites can show some disturbed Re/Os systematics but analyses of representative suites show that beneath cratons the oldest Re depletion model ages are Archean and broadly similar to major crust-forming events. Some locations, such as Premier in southern Africa, and Lashaine in Tanzania, indicate more recent addition of lithospheric material to the craton, in the Proterozoic, or later. Of the cratons studies so far (Kaapvaal, Siberia, Wyoming and Tanzania), all indicate Archean formation of their lithospheric mantle roots. Few localities studied show any clear variation of age with depth of derivation, indicating that >150 km of lithosphere may have formed relatively rapidly. In circum-cratonic areas where the crustal basement is Proterozoic in age kimberlite-derived xenoliths give Proterozoic model ages, matching the age of the overlying crust. This behaviour shows how the crust and mantle parts of continental lithospheric roots have remained coupled since formation in these areas, for billions of years, despite continental drift. Orogenic massifs show more systematic behaviour of Re–Os isotopes, where correlations between Os isotopic composition and S or Re content yield initial Os isotopic ratios that define Re depletion model ages for the massifs. Ongoing Sr–Nd–Pb–Hf–Os isotopic studies of massif peridotites and new kimberlite- and basalt-borne xenolith suites from new areas, will soon enable a global understanding of the age of continental roots and their subsequent evolution.     

Velocity structure of the continental upper mantle: evidence from southern Africa

The velocity model for southern Africa of Qiu et al. [Qiu, X., Priestley, K., McKenzie, D., 1996. Average lithospheric structure of southern Africa. Geophys. J. Int. 127, 563–587] is revised so as to satisfy both the regional seismic waveform data and the fundamental mode Rayleigh wave phase velocity data for the region. The revised S-wave model is similar to the original model of Qiu et al. except that the high velocity, upper mantle lid extends to 160 km depth in the revised model rather than to 120 km in the original model. Sensitivity tests of the regional seismic data show that the minimum velocity in the S-wave low velocity zone can be as high as 4.45 km s⁻¹ compared to 4.32 km s⁻¹ in the Qiu et al. model. The vertical S-wave travel time for the revised south African model is compared with the vertical S-wave travel times for the global tomographic models S12WM13 and S16B30, and they are found to be similar.     

A BRIEF REVIEW OF SEVERAL MODELS OF TOPOGRAPHIC EVOLUTION

With steady development of mathematical-physical models and computer technology, numerous methods of topographic simulation have emerged during the past decades. A major challenge in the modeling is how to accurately and efficiently describe processes of surface erosion at different spatial scales. This review focuses on the physical processes controlling surface erosion, including river erosion and hillslope erosion. Four popular models of topographic simulation (CASCADE, CHILD, FastScape and DAC models)and their applications are presented. Although these models have become more sophisticated in recent years, there are still some issues unsolved regarding the basics of the physical erosion processes. For example, some factors have not been taken into account, such as the impacts of changes in grain size and sediment budget during transportation on river erosion and the measurements of the rock erodibilities for various lithologies. Moreover, there is no topographic index that can be used to evaluate the modeling results. Therefore, it would be helpful to combine the models of topographic simulation with other numerical models, e.g. the low-temperature thermochronometric data modeling, to provide better constraints on the terrain modeling.     

川滇地区壳幔地震各向异性研究进展

根据川滇地区已有的地震各向异性研究结果,利用体波、面波资料的结果,分析川滇地区不同构造尺度、不同深度的地震各向异性特征。对比不同方法研究川滇地区介质各向异性的特点,探讨了该地区的介质连续性及壳幔耦合状态。分析认为,地壳上地幔各向异性的差异表明,川滇地区具有复杂的地壳及上地幔形变机制。因此,对于川滇地区壳幔地震各向异性的深入理解,需在理论上和高密度数据资料基础上加强量化分析和综合研究。     

祁连山大通河河流阶地形成时代及地质意义

祁连山是研究青藏高原隆升与构造变形的关键部位,其中大通河河流阶地是祁连山地区早更新世以来构造隆升和气候变化的载体,厘定大通河河流阶地的形成时代及地质意义对于分析祁连山地区的区域构造和气候环境改变具有重要意义。通过ESR测年技术,并对大通河流域江仓区域的剖面样品实测,获取岩层形成时代数据,分别为(42±4) ka B.P.、(71±5) ka B.P.、(121±12) ka B.P.、(210±20) ka B.P.和(602±60) ka B.P.。根据测年结果,确认剖面为河流相沉积环境,形成时代对应中晚更新世酒泉砾岩和戈壁砾岩时期,表明大通河河流阶地在542~662 ka B.P.之前就已经形成,推测其可能是受到中新世白杨河组之后的盆山运动或早更新世祁连山的褶皱变形影响而形成的。利用测年数据计算抬升速率,从中更新世晚期到晚更新世中期,抬升速率加快,反映了大通河流域的构造运动和气候变化加强,祁连山江仓地区在此期间快速隆升,为青藏高原东北缘以面积和体积扩张的观点提供了新的依据。     

Asymmetry in oceanic crustal structure of the South China Sea basin and its implications on mantle geodynamics

ABSTRACT

We investigated the oceanic crustal structure and lithospheric dynamics of the South China Sea (SCS) basin through a comprehensive analysis of residual gravity anomaly and bathymetry combined with seismic constraints and interpretation from geodynamic modelling. We first calculated the residual mantle Bouguer anomaly (RMBA) of the oceanic crustal regions of the SCS by removing from free-air gravity anomaly the predicted gravitational attractions of water-sediment, sediment-crust, and crust-mantle interfaces, as well as the effects of lithospheric plate cooling, using the latest crustal age constraints including IODP Expedition 349 and recent deep-tow magnetic surveys. We then calculated models of the gravity-derived crustal thickness and calibrated them using the available seismic refraction profiles of the SCS. The gravity-derived crustal thickness models correlate positively with seismically determined crustal thickness values. Our analysis revealed that the isochron-averaged RMBA are consistently more negative over the northern flank of the SCS basin than the southern conjugate for magnetic anomaly chrons C8n (~25.18 Ma) to C5Dn (~17.38 Ma), implying warmer mantle and/or thicker crust over much of the northern flank. Computational geodynamic modelling yielded the following interpretations: (1) Models of asymmetric and variable spreading rates based on the relatively high-resolution deep-tow magnetic analysis would predict alternating thicker and thinner crust at the northern flank than the southern conjugate, which is inconsistent with the observed systematically thicker crust on the northern flank. (2) Models of episodic southward ridge jumps could reproduce the observed N-S asymmetry, but only for crustal age of 23.6–20 Ma. (3) Southward migration of the SCS ridge axis would predict slightly thinner crust at the northern flank, which is inconsistent with the observations. (4) Models of higher mantle temperatures of up to 25–50°C or >2% less depleted mantle sources on the northern flank could produce large enough anomalies to explain the observed N-S asymmetries.     

山东及邻区双震现象的研究

对山东及邻区中强以上地震的双震现象进行了研究,结果是：Ｍ４．０现象以上中等地震双震,主要集中在渤海海峡和邢台地区及其构造附近;Ｍ５．０级以上中强震双震,主要分布在渤海海峡、邢台、临沂、菏泽这些历史和现今７级以上强震震中区附近。分析认为：双震现象可能主要与上地幔隆起、断层发育、构造复杂和高应力背景有关。